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After living in Southern California for years, one of the things I looked forward to most about moving to New England was the sound of a good thunderstorm. If you grew up in a place where thunder was a regular occurrence, it's something you miss... even if coming back to it means you have to deal with rain, snow, dirty streets and obnoxious drivers.

For those who want the rumble without all the attendant hassles, Holographic Audio Theater has put out a surprisingly compelling simulation for your iPhone. Called Thundergod, the app provides what the developers call a "holographic listening experience." The sounds are meant to be played through headphones, and Holographic Audio Theater delivers each of the long, looping storm tracks - with names like "Thor," "Loki" and "Odin" - with or without "Earbud Optimization" for use with headphones like the stock Apple ones.

The files are meant to be used with headphones, and are merely interesting when heard through speakers. Slip your earbuds in, though, and you get a startling 3D experience. The tracks are long playing, and give you the experience of listening to a storm develop, build and then dissipate before looping through again.

The Thundergod app is $9.99 on iTunes. Before you balk at the high price, though, give a listen to the free Naturespace app that gives a range of relaxing audio environments. The quality is very good, as is that of Holographic Audio Theater's library of sound files available on iTunes.